French window fastening device



July 17, 1956 K. ABEL FRENCH WINDOW FASTENING D- :VICE

Filed Nov. 24, 1955 K k 9 I W .44 w 4 Va I ,f. H .RmW- M w w United States Patent FRENCH WINDOW FASTENING DEVICE Karl Abel, Zurich, Switzerland Application November 24, 1953, Serial No. 394,099

Claims priority, application Switzerland November 24, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 29211) The present invention relates to a French window fastening device arranged on one casement sash of a window and incorporating a continuous hook rod and a bolt engaging a second casement sash.

In known fastening devices of this type the swivel rod for the handle is visibly screwed on the window stile, the bolt lever being equipped with a lateral finger engaging a hook visible on the second casement of the window. This construction has the disadvantage that dust will collect behind the rod, giving the assembly an unaesthetic appearance. To ensure cleanliness, it has been suggested to employ fastening devices recessed into the window stile. Such fastening devices have no continuous hook rod and require a gear-box which must be embedded in the window stile, consequently weakening the latter which must, for this reason, have a thickness of not less than 30 mm.

It is the object of this invention to eliminate these disadvantages. The invention is characterized by the fact that a continuous hook rod is inserted between the window stile batten and a covering strip to which is welded a laterally offset supporting plate holding the bolt lever designed for the purpose of rotating the rod. The said supporting plate projects through a slot in the covering strip and the bolt lever is pivoted thereon for movement in the direction of the hook rod axis. The slot in the covering strip is covered by a sheet metal cover plate which is in turn provided with a slot enabling the lever plate to be swivelled, and the slot in this cover plate is in turn covered from the inside by additional cover plates arranged on both sides of the lever plate.

An embodiment of the present invention is shown in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 shows a cross-section of the fastening device taken at I-I in Fig. 2,

Fig. 2 shows a side view, partly in section, of the fastening device taken at H-II in Fig. l, and

Fig. 3 shows a front view taken in the direction of the arrow a.

Referring first to Fig. 1, it will be seen that the stiles 1 and 2, in which the panes 3 and 4 are retained by means of putty 5, are bolted together as usual to form a window casement sash. The stiles 7 and 8 are part of the second casement sash. The outer covering strip 9 is screwed on the stile 7 and the inner covering strip 10 is attached to the other stile 1 in like manner. The book rod 12 is preferably inserted into and held by the stile 1 around onehalf of its diameter, the other half being covered by covering strip 10. Arranged at the upper and lower ends of the rod 12 are the hooks 12a which engage the bolts or noses 13 arranged in the window stile. Welded to the side of the rod 12 is a base or lever plate 14 for the bolt lever, which plate is cranked so that its center projects through the covering strip 10 at a distance a from the plane extending perpendicularly to the window and passing through the axis of rod 12, which distance is approximately 10 mm. The covering strip 10 is provided with a corresponding arcuate aperture or slot 10a partly covered by a cover 2,755,119 Patented July 17, 1956 plate 15 preferably made of metal. A screw 17 holds the bolt lever 16 to the lever plate 14 so that the latter may be pivoted about the hook rod axis, while bolt lever 16 may also be pivoted about screw 17 independently of plate 14.

Arranged laterally on the bolt lever is a tongue 18 which projects through a slot 19 in the cover plate 15 and engages the nose 22 arranged in the stile 8 of the second casement sash by means of screws 20. The cover plate 15 is provided with a further slot 15a, and the lever plate 14 possesses welded cover plates or shields 23 and 24 which cover the slot 15a even when the bolt lever is swivelled about the axis of rod 12.

In closed position, therefore, neither the hook rod 12, the tongue 18, nor the nose 22 is visible from the front. As viewed from the front (Fig. 3) bolt lever 16 is seen passing through slot 15a of cover plate 15 together with a portion of the tongue 18 passing through slot 19 of the cover plate 15. The slot or cavity 10a is protected against entry of dirt by arcuate cover plates 23 and 24, carried by the base plate 14. As a result, the cover plate 15 is relatively flat, resulting in economies in manufacture and space. Specifically, stiles manufactured in accordance with the present invention may be as small as 22 mm. in thickness, whereas stiles embodying conventional fastening devices run about 30 mm. in thickness. In addition, dirt is prevented from entering cavity 10a and, moreover, this cavity is not visible. Consequently, the ditficulty encountered in attempting to remove dirt which would otherwise accumulate in the cavity, in the absence of cover plates 15, 23 and 24, is avoided and what little dirt might accumulate over long periods of time cannot be seen.

Because the bolt lever 16 must be capable of movement relative to both the cover plate 15 and the base plate 14, space between these members must be provided. To prevent the possible entry of dirt from above, as well as to prevent paint drippings from clogging the fastening device during redecoration of the room, the cover plate 15 is provided with a roof or shield 15c projecting outwardly above the bolt lever 16. This shield may also serve as an abutment for the bolt lever to thereby limit the pivoting movement of the latter about screw 17 at some predetermined position after which the tongue 18 and nose 22 have been disengaged.

To open the window, the bolt lever 16 is first pivoted about screw 17 as an axis until tongue 18 disengages nose 22, the tongue 18 passing out through slot 19 in cover plate 15. At this point only bolt lever 16 and tongue 18 have been displaced, base plate 14 having remained stationary. With bolt lever 16 as a handle, the base plate 14 together with the hook rod 12 is rotated about the axis of the hook rod whereupon hooks 12a become disengaged from noses 13. Thereafter the window may be opened in conventional manner such as by displacement of the win dow stiles about their lateral hinges'(not shown).

Because of the arcuate configuration of cover plates 23 and 24 and the corresponding arcuate configuration of slot 10a, these cover plates remain in substantial contact with the slot even during pivoting of the base plate so that the protection against entry of dirt is manifested in all positions of the fastening device.

By offsetting the handle or base plate 14 with respect to the axis of hook rod 12, the bolt lever 16 will project vertically from the window in closed position but will nonetheless be permitted to prescribe an arc of considerable length in pivoting about the axis of the hook bar. In contrast therewith, if the center lines were superimposed the base plate could travel only a minimum distance in effecting the disengagement of hooks 12a from noses 13. As a result the engagement between these latter members in closed position would be only superficial.

Various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention and it is intended that such obvious changes and modifications be embraced by the annexed claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desired to be secured by Letters Patent, is:

1. In a device for fastening a first casement sash of a French window having a first stile to a second casement sash having a second stile, said device including a hook rod rotatably supported by and extending longitudinally of said first stile, first nose means on said first stile, hook means on said hook rod for engagement with said first nose means upon rotation of said hook rod in one direction, strip means attached to said first stile and extending longitudinally of said hook rod and covering the latter, said strip means being provided with a transverse aperture, a cover plate attached to said strip means and provided with a first slot overlying a part of said aperture, and a lever operatively connected to said hook rod for rotating the same about its own axis; a lever plate provided with respective edge portions offset from each other, one of said edge portions being welded to said hook rod and extending laterally of the latter through said aperture and said first slot, said lever being connected to the other edge portion of said lever plate for pivotal movement about an axis disposed substantially at right angles to said axis of said hook rod, said cover plate being provided with a second slot overlying another part of said aperture, a tongue atfixed to said lever and extending through said second slot and said aperture, second nose means on said second stile and arranged for gripping engagement by said tongue to thereby efiect fastening of said sashes to one another, and shield means welded to said one edge portion of said lever plate on opposite sides of the latter and located between said hook rod and said cover plate, said shield means obturating all of said first slot which is not occupied by said lever plate, whereby access of dirt and dust to said hook rod is reduced to a minimum.

2. In a device for fastening a first casement sash of a French window having a first stile to a second casement sash having a second stile, said device including a rotatable hook rod supported by and extending longitudinally of said first stile, strip means attached to said first stile and extending longitudinally of said hook rod and covering the latter, said strip means being provided with a substantially transverse aperture, a cover plate attached to said strip means and provided with a slot overlying a part of said aperture, a lever operatively connected to said hook rod for rotating the same about its own axis, and means connected to said lever for gripping said second stile t0 efiect fastening of said sashes to one another; a lever plate provided with respective edge portions offset from each other, one of said edge portions being welded to said hook rod laterally of the latter and extending through said aperture and said slot, said lever being connected to the other edge portion of said lever plate, whereby said hook rod may be rotated through a large angle relative to said strip means and said cover plate by operation of said lever for actuating said gripping means, and shield means welded to said one edge portion of said lever plate on opposite sides of the latter and located between said hook rod and said cover plate, said shield means closing all of said slot which is not occupied by said lever plate, whereby access of dirt and dust to said hook rod is substantially prevented.

3. In a device according to claim 2, said cover plate being provided with a further slot overlying another part of said aperture, said gripping means extending from said lever through said further slot toward said second stile.

4. In a device according to claim 3, roof means extending from said cover plate on the side thereof remote from said hook rod and said strip means, said roof means being located above said slot and said lever plate, whereby entry of paint, water and like dirt into said slot from above the latter is prevented.

References Cited in the file of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS 

